Staying up in Down Times When Looking for a Job

April 28, 2009 9:32 pm Denise Fay Networking

I was one of the lucky few who had the opportunity to hear Brendan Murphy of Osborne Recruitment speak at last weeks Staying up in Down Times event, held at the Ballsbridge Court.

Brendan is a quiet spoken man and he is clearly devoted to his profession. He is clear, concise and has a real desire to help people find work.

The recruitment industry is like the car industry, it is going through the floor. Employment is declining and unemployment is rising. Murphy didn’t sugar coat his delivery. The recruitment industry has contracted about 60% over the past 6-9 months. That is incredibly scary stuff. I believe that in a city of 1.2million, there are about 9,000 jobs being advertised.

Those that know me are aware that maths is not my strong point but that is not a good number. If my maths is correct, then it’s around 0.75%. Dismal would be the word that I would describe it.

Brendan explained that these days, there are really only three positions that a person can find themself in:

1. Safe - Employed by the government

2. Not Safe - Plan what you’re going to do

3. Not Sure - Plan what you’re going to do

Recruitment Advice Tip No. 1 - Control the world rather than letting it control you. Plan ahead.

If you don’t have a CV, do one up.

If you do have a CV, then improve on it. It can always get better.

The top 10% of people who apply for jobs have CVs that are

• Complete
• Accurate
• Truthful

You should ask yourself the question: ‘ How are  you going to differentiate yourself?’ The reality is that you may not be different to others going for the same job but as long as your CV is accurate & correct, then your CV and yourself will go a long way.

Recruitment Advice Tip No. 2 - Have a Truthful & Correct CV

He came down to the interview stage preparation. He gave four pieces of advice

1. What are your strengths?

You need to know what they are and you need to communicate them clearly at interview.

2. What are your weaknesses?

Okay - everyone has weaknesses. Admit them. Acknowledge them and tell them in a positive way.

3. Differentiate Yourself

Brendan told us the story about a supermarket chain who were hiring about 20 years ago in the UK, during the last recession. They were inundated with applications so they decided to have an open day. At one point, they got rid of people who had white socks. Yep! white socks.

They just had to differentiate people - rightly or wrongly.

You, however, should differentiate yourself for the right reasons. Know what makes you different.

4. Answer the question ‘Why you?’

So you’ve done the interviews and it’s down to you and someone else, equally qualified and equally experienced. What makes you different? It is related to point number 3 and essentially it comes down to personality. But you should know and prepare the answer.

Recruitment Advice Tip No. 3: Be fully prepared before interview. Know your strengths, weaknesses, your differentiators, your ‘why you?’ answer

He suggested that everyone should develop your skills - get new ones or upskill the ones that you have. That will always stand to you. Keep moving forward with your skill set.

Recruitment Advice Tip No. 4: Keep developing your skillset

Like any good presenter, he finished on a positive note. There are industries that are surviving and even thriving. They include

• Transport
• Education
• Alternative Health
• Insurance
• ICT (certain areas)
• Languages (and not necessarily academic posts)
• Niche sectors - farming, bio-sciences, etc

and dare I say death! Well, there will always be births, deaths and taxes!

Recruitment Advice Tip No. 5: Do your research as there are still sectors surviving

Brendan summarised with four simple points:

• Look at where you are
• Do your CV
• Do a balance sheet analysis of you
• Stay Positive

My Recruitment Advice Tip: Go to Osborne Recruitment if looking for a job. They offer real, practical advice.